Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2016 12:20:03 -0500
From: elisdy333@gmail.com
Subject: The Beta Chapter 4

The Beta

Chapter 4-Preparing for the Fight

Xak was sitting at a table talking with Toby in Nicolas' library when the
phone in front of them rang at midnight on the dot. Toby answered the
phone. He said, "Hello Richard. Nicolas cannot talk at the moment. Xak is
here and he's fine. Would you like to talk to him? Certainly."

Xak reached for the phone and said, "Pawpaw, you're never going to believe
this shit. You, Chris, Xena, Gary, and Jacob need to be here at dawn. There
is a lot going on that no one was aware of until fairly recently. Thayne
and I will explain everything we can once y'all get here. Please, don't
show up before dawn though; we need the people who live here to be asleep
in order for this plan to work like we hope it will."

Richard simply asked, "Do you swear to me as your Alpha that you are not
harmed in any way and you're not being forced to say this to me?"

"Yes sir, I swear to you that I am perfectly fine and nobody is forcing me
to do or say anything. I offered to help as soon as I heard the truth of
the situation. Basically, Nicolas has been possessed by the spirit of the
vampire who turned him since the day he was turned, and I'm pretty much the
only person that can help him right now. By the way, that vampire's name
was Nicholas, with a `ch.' Besides, it's not like Toby was able to come to
us directly and ask for help, since we weren't exactly on the best of terms
with the Clan to begin with. Anyways, after Toby finally figured everything
out, he along with the help of couple of others, came up with the plan,
which I will fill you in on in the morning. Just please promise me that
you'll be here as soon after sunrise as possible. Everything will make
sense, I promise. I just can't say too much right now. Can I please talk to
Chris now?"

"Yeah, he's sitting right here anxiously waiting for me to hand him the
phone. He's kind of funny whenever he gets anxious and loses that quiet
confidence we see. You know, I can sit here and talk to you all night
torturing the poor boy. But..." Richard responded before the phone was
snatched out of his hand by his grandson Chris.

Chris said, "I don't care what anyone thinks, I needed to hear your
voice. Please say something so that I know it's really you and that you're
okay. I can't handle being away from you like this. Why am I still rambling
on and on? Why aren't you talking? Please say something."

"I'm not going to interrupt you while you talking. I needed to hear your
voice too, so I was willing to let you ramble on for as long as you
wanted. Gods, I fucking miss you. I promise, I'm okay and I will explain
everything to y'all in the morning." Just then, Toby and Xak heard Nicholas
and Justin arguing down the hall. "Shit, I have to go now. I love you and
will see you in the morning. Tell Pawpaw to call back immediately and not
to mention that he already called." He hung the phone up and slid it back
on the table before Chris could say a word. Ten seconds later, Justin and
Nicholas entered the library.

"Bonsoir mes amis1, how are y'all doing tonight? I haven't missed the phone
call from Richard yet have I?"

Just then the phone on the table rang again. Faster than thought, Nicholas
crossed the room and answered the phone, "Richard, mon cher2, what a lovely
surprise. What can I do for you this evening?"

"You know damn well why I'm calling. You took one of my pack members last
night and I want him back."

"Zut alors3, someone was taken last night? No, I can't even pull that off
and get away with it. Yes, I have your grandson, one of them at least." He
then glanced at Xak and questioned, "Are you Chris or Gary?"

"I'm Xak, Chris is my mate, Gary is one of my best friends."

From the other end of the phone they all heard Richard say, "It doesn't
matter if it's really one of my grandsons or not, Xak is just as important
to me as the others. What do I need to do to get him back?"

Nicholas' voice had a tinge of humor in it when he said, "Show up here at
my place tomorrow night after dusk. Even trade, you for him. I get to keep
you."

"If there is so much as a scratch on him, you know you'll be answering to
me."

"Richard, mon cher, there's no need to be hostile. I promise you I won't
lay a hand on the petite chiot4. Oh and by the way Richard, don't plan on
ever leaving again once you're here tomorrow night. I meant forever when I
said I get to keep you; or until I get bored with you. Goodbye Richard."
The next sentence spoken by that voice was slightly different. This time it
was softer, more gentle, and sincere when he said, "I can't wait to you see
you, my love. I've been waiting a long time for this." Xak glanced at Toby
and noticed that he had noticed the difference in the two voices as
well. Justin, who somehow seemed oblivious to anything that didn't directly
affect him, scoffed sarcastically. Nicolas threw a threatening glance in
his direction, which Justin either didn't care to acknowledge or didn't
notice in the first place.

Suddenly, Xak was feeling the past twenty-four hours and he was extremely
tired. He asked Toby if there was somewhere he could lay down and get some
sleep. Toby led him down the hall to a bedroom with a bathroom and a king
sized bed. He felt safe enough around Toby, but wasn't sure which Nicolas
he would be dealing with, if he had to deal with him at all. However, he
absolutely did not trust Justin whatsoever. He was a self-centered cocky
asshole who acted like he was entitled to anything he wanted. Justin's was
a different kind of cockiness than Chris'. Chris wasn't really cocky, he
was confident. It was the type of confidence that came naturally to a
person who didn't have to try and impress others. His charisma won
everybody over the minute he started talking to him. From afar, Chris could
appear to be a cocky, son-of-a-bitch, asshole that never had to worry about
anything; however, after getting to know him better, a kind, caring,
generous soul that wanted everyone around him to be happy would be
discovered.

Xak fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Sometime later,
the sound of the door opening woke him. He wasn't sure how long he had been
asleep, but he knew he wasn't alone in the room anymore. He could smell one
of the vampires, but he wasn't sure which one. He knew it wasn't Toby, he
had already learned that particular scent. The only chances he had had

 to pick up Nicolas' or Justin's scents, they had been too intertwined to
determine one from the other. He felt the weight of a body shift the
bed. Whoever it was, he was just sitting on the edge of the bed.

Finally, he heard Nicolas' voice say, "Thank you so much for agreeing to
help. I don't know how long we have right now, but I've been able to keep
him subdued longer and longer lately. The longest was one glorious evening
two weeks ago; for four wonderful hours I remembered what it was like to be
me. I couldn't even tell if he was there at all or not. It was the first
time in 151 years that I was able to think for myself. I realized that
evening that I am still in love with Richard. Part of me thought the only
reason I held onto that love was because of Nicholas, since he was
Richard's true mate. He had me convinced that I never truly loved Richard
and that what I felt now was only there because he was influencing my
emotions. He told me that I could never love Richard as much as he did. The
only thing is, I never felt any love towards anything coming from him. The
only emotions I feel from him are hate and anger. If there is love, it's
been changed to hate through his bitterness He only wants to make Richard
hurt as much as possible now, make him feel the pain he felt after being
rejected. Once that is done, he wants to kill him in the slowest most
painful way imaginable. Anyways, sometime before dawn, he was able to take
over again and started planning this kidnapping, trade thing.

"I knew Toby had been looking into the supernatural world for a few
years. He began looking after the found a book on Richard's old pack
lands. At first, I didn't take it seriously. I knew witches existed because
Nicholas drove out a Coven from here when we first arrived in Dallas, but I
never gave it much thought. His inquiries caught Thayne's attention. They
started talking a while ago, and Thayne told Toby my story, but that he
couldn't get involved openly. Come to find out, those damnable fairies were
watching us the whole time but didn't want to get involved with a
shifter/vampire fight. Well, Summer didn't, Queen Mab had made plans of her
own, and here you are, her plans made reality.

"Thayne and Toby came up with the plan to bring you here. He told us that
if neither side made a move against the other soon, he would have
approached you and convinced you to help. For the past week, I have had to
keep my thoughts completely sealed off from him as well as myself, so that
he won't figure out what we are planning. I'm taking a huge risk right now
by talking to you. He almost got too suspicious earlier when he asked if
you were Chris or Gary. He knew Toby was supposed to have shown Justin a
picture of Chris and one of Gary that had been found online. Thankfully, I
was able to convince him that you had been in the picture with Chris, and
that we weren't sure who was whom. I think we've risked this long enough,
he could retake control at any moment now, and you need to rest.  Good luck
tomorrow, but please don't risk your life for mine. I don't want to be
responsible for anymore death." He headed to the door; just before he
opened it to leave, he turned and asked, "Do you think Richard will ever be
able to forgive me? What I have allowed to happen is unforgivable. I just
didn't know how to fight him off for so long, I guess I got used to someone
else being in control and lost the will to even try to stop him. I had lost
hope of ever being me again."

Xak said, "There is nothing that you did that requires Richard's
forgiveness. You had no control over the situation, I know Richard has seen
this side of you many times over the years, the side he has been in in love
with for almost two centuries. He told me that those glimpses give him hope
that somewhere inside, you were still you. That man has never, not for one
second, quit loving you. He told me just the other night that he would
sacrifice himself if it meant that you could live. He also told me that if
he had the chance to get the old you back and y'all could be together
forever happy, he would give up the pack and everything he had. He loves
you and I can maybe see why. I know for a fact that you have excellent
taste in men, since my mate is almost an exact carbon copy of Richard, and
I won't lie to you and tell you that Chris isn't sexy as fuck. Oh yeah, my
sister and Gary have a nickname for Chris they don't think we know anything
about. Behind his back, they call him kielbasa. Is the same true for his
grandfather as well? "

Nicolas actually snorted while the laughed and said, "Oh my gods, I thought
I would never walk the same again after our first time together. And then
you throw in the stamina, I'm talking marathon fuckfests, hours upon hours
with no mercy. But afterwards? The best damn cuddler in the world. He would
wrap me up in his arms, and every care or concern I had in the world melted
away. I miss those powerfully protective arms guarding me from the
world. Don't ever put yourself in a situation that would put you against
Chris, what y'all have is special and should be cherished. If he is
anything like my Richard, his heart is pure gold and anyone would be hard
pressed to find somebody more loyal." Just before the door closed, Xak
heard from the hallway, "Justin, where the hell do you think you are going?
No, you can't have a go at the puppy, if I find out you even thought about
going through that door at any point tonight, it will be the last thought
you ever have."

"What the fuck Nicolas? I swear sometimes there really are two of y'all
running around here. One minute you say one thing; the next minute you'll
say the exact opposite. Make up your fucking mind and fucking quit with
crazy vampire thing, it's getting old."

Xak thought Justin had to be completely clueless and totally unaware of his
surroundings. How could he not see that Nicolas really was two different
people in the same body? Everything about them was different; their speech
patterns, mannerisms, even the way they walked was different.  Then there
was then biggest, most obvious clue right in front of all of everyone. Both
spoke English, however, Nicholas would add French phrases into his
dialogue; while Nicolas spoke in nothing other than plain old English. That
was one of the first things Xak had noticed. It was a dead giveaway as to
who was actually in the driver's seat.

Finally, Xak managed to return to his slumber. He immediately recognized
where he was. He was on the other side of the veil. He looked around and
saw Thayne, his uncle, approaching him. He was escorting a powerfully
beautiful woman who appeared to be no older than forty years old. Her skin
was as white as cream, her hair was raven black, and her eyes were
ice-blue. Those eyes were both mesmerizing and frightening. They looked
like they could penetrate anywhere they wanted. She could see every deep,
dark, hidden secret you ever had. She also knew your every wish, hope, and
dream. But what scared Xak the most, was the fact that she could see
exactly what your hidden desire was. That one thing that a person would do
absolutely anything for, that one thing a person would betray anyone
for. To top everything off, you could tell she was a woman that had the
power and the means to obtain whatever that desire happened to be. She
would happily get it for you too. You wouldn't even have to pay her back
with money. Her preferred method of payment was something much more
valuable than money. She traded in favors. Most of the time it would be
doing her dirty work for her, since The Queen of the Winter Court could
hardly get her hands soiled directly. As long as the image of propriety is
kept, then all is well. These were all things Xak knew to be certain as he
met his grandmother for the first time.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to address her; should the call her
grandmother, Granny, Your Highness, Queen Mab? He wasn't sure, although the
thought of him calling this woman Granny had him suddenly smiling and
trying not to laugh. She looked at him with a slight, almost imperceptible,
smile and said, "I actually rather like the idea. I wouldn't mind you
calling me Granny at all, as long as you promise to do it at least once
when I am holding Court. Actually, I would absolutely love if you did it at
either the Beltane or the Samhain festivals. I want to see the look on
Tatiana's face. It would be priceless."

Turning to Thayne, he asked, "Did she just read my thoughts?"

Laughing, Thayne responded, "Yeah, she does that sometimes. The only thing
is, I think she was serious about you calling her Granny."

"You know I was serious about that. You know I cannot lie when asked a
direct question. His mind directly asked me how he should address me. Then
he amused himself by thinking of the name Granny. Well, after the
conversation he had just had with himself about my eyes, let me just say,
it is very refreshing to meet someone who understands me so completely just
through eye-contact. First though, allow me to introduce myself. I am Queen
Mab the High Queen of the Winter Court of the Sidhe. Current Queen of
Winter, Shadows, and Darkness. Oh yeah and your Granny."

"Umm I'm not really comfortable with the idea that you can read my
thoughts. Those are kind of private you know. Wouldn't want you in there
while I was thinking about Chris. And besides, I really don't need to start
thinking that you were reading my thoughts to try and discover my hidden
desires. I'm sure you know I have a tendency to overthink things
sometimes." Xak was surprised that he hadn't held onto to some of that
bitterness he felt earlier when he realized that she had intentionally
avoided him and his sister their entire lives. However, he found himself
falling into an easy relationship with her.

"First, let me say that I would never use my powers on a member of my
family nor the ones they love. Second, I only use that power to remind
others that I have that power at my disposal. In the past, others that held
my position abused their powers, giving cause to the belief that the Queen
or King of the Winter Court is bad or evil. That is how darkness became
associated with evil. Plenty of evil things occur in the Light of day. Try
not to think of an individual being inherently good or evil. Instead, judge
them by their actions. To use an old fable, think of it like the two
wolves, which one are you going to feed and make stronger? `An it harm
none, do as thou wilt.' Basically, that is an ancient Celtic saying that
boils down to...as long as nobody gets hurt in anyway, neither physically,
nor mentally, nor spiritually; do whatever you like. And any race of people
that want to worship my kind as gods, you have to admire. If your intent is
to cause harm to another, then I will say you are evil. That is why
Nicholas must be stopped. He only seeks out to cause harm to others. I
tried to convince Tatiana that we needed to intervene, since both Courts
must agree to enter a conflict. She didn't agree that events were spiraling
out of control. I told her of a premonition I had. The vision was clear. I
saw Nicholas standing on a mound of bodies, they were all shifters. His
hidden desire is eradicating your kind from existence. The Sidhe are about
total balance in all things, that's why there are two separate, but equally
powerful Courts. One rules Summer, Openness, and Light, while the other
rules Winter, Shadows, and Darkness. If Queens are ruling currently, then
the Princes are the heirs; when the Kings rule, then the Princesses are the
heirs. We always strive to maintain that balance. So, after that vision, I
saw the path Nicholas was on as he sought to wipe the earth of shifters
completely.

"While I can see a person's deepest, darkest desires, Tatiana can see
exactly what a person's true intents are. We each see a person's truth when
we look at them. I know his desire is to kill all shifters, Tatiana sees
that his intentions, though misguided, are good and true. Even a crazy
person who would kill someone thinking that they are actually protecting
them, has good intentions, and we both know what the road to hell is paved
with. He honestly believes that it is his destiny to kill off the
shifters. He was never the sanest vampire that walked the earth while he
was `alive,' and I never personally cared for him that much, I hold life on
a pedestal. It is a precious gift that should revered and celebrated every
single day. He has total disregard for life period. What he has done to
poor Nicolas for all of these years is atrocious. He has robbed him of life
and happiness. I have followed those two, as well as Richard, since the day
Nicolas was turned. I was originally watching the actions of the Union Army
during the Civil War. First, I wanted to know how they even knew of the
existence of vampires. Second, I wanted to know why they were using said
vampires as weapons. Well, it turned out that one of the old New England
vampire Clans was a supporter of the Union, and let the people in charge
know of the existence of his kind. He then directed them to New Orleans,
where they found Nicholas, and the rest is, as they say, history. Normally,
when a spirit possesses a body, either the host or the invading spirit will
win out, forcing the other to leave the body; however, Nicholas will not
allow Nicolas to leave his body and Nicolas is not strong enough to force
him out. I'm sorry but that is as much as I am allowed to say on this
matter without choosing a side and getting involved.

"Now, since this is the first time I'm meeting my grandson, I have some
birthdays to make up for, I think." She then reached into the sleeve of her
dress, which was the same ice-blue color of her eyes, and pulled out a
necklace with a charm on it. The charm was a howling wolf with purple
eyes. She then reached into her dress sleeve again and pulled out six
necklaces with a crystal charm on each. She said, "And these are for your
sister, Richard, Gary, Toby, Jacob, and of course Chris. The eyes of the
wolf are made of Ametrine, which will act as a homing beacon for the
crystals. which are merely focus crystals that will prevent the wearer from
entering their dream space, instead, the person will enter the astral
wherever the wolf charm is, but only if you are wearing it and present in
the astral at the time. Basically, I'm giving you the ability to show this
place off to your friends if you would like. Since Thayne will be returning
with you, he will carry these through the veil with him. Oh and by the way,
this is not me taking a side, it is me walking with my grandson, whom I
only just met, and giving him some past-due birthday presents. I am not
showing you the pathways that will take you into Nicolas'/Nicholas' dream
space, you just happened to be close to said way and that is where we ended
up walking. Oops I might have said too much. Oh well, just ignore that last
bit."

It surprised him how much he fucking loved his grandmother, correction, his
Granny! She was regal, majestic, beautiful, and hilarious. He couldn't wait
for Chris to meet her. Xena was going to love her too. He turned to her and
asked, "Of course I realize that you're not helping me; but hypothetically
if you were, why now?"

"Aww, I cannot answer that without lying, so please do not ask me that. In
fact, if you could rescind that question, it would be best."

Xak gave her a curious look and then glanced at Thayne who simply
nodded. He then said, "Never mind, pretend I never asked that. What are we
supposed to do? Will the two be separated over here? Will Nicholas be a
separate entity that we are able to fight physically?"

She then turned to him and said, "Yes and no. Yes, Nicholas will like a
spirit when you confront him, but on this side of the veil, spirits are
corporeal beings but have the ability to disassociate from their
surroundings for a short period of time, during which they can travel short
distances. From what Thayne has told me, you can alter reality to some
degree; therefore, I would try to think of a way to stop Nicholas from
moving. Once that is done, some helpful spirits can take him to his
afterlife. He is quite powerful, so you need to be careful. I know Thayne
told you this, but I'm going to say it again. Any damage done to your
astral-self will be felt by your physical self. If your astral projection
dies, you will die in the physical world. You would be able to live out the
rest of time with us, but you would never be able to leave this plane
again. I won't be able to be there physically, but know that I will be
watching. Thayne will be there, but he absolutely cannot interfere unless
he is attacked, and then all he can do is defend himself. As soon as he is
safe, he has to disengage from the fight.  So please keep yourself safe. As
soon as everything is over, you will all be guests in my Court. Now, there
is someone who would like to speak with you. I will see you sometime later
today. Just so you know, I didn't want to stay away from you or your sister
for all these years, I had to maintain an appearance of neutrality. But, I
want you to know that was watching. I've kept my eye on you since the day
you were born. So if your Uncle Thayne tries to convince you that there are
things I don't know about, don't believe a word of it." She threw her son a
sideways glance and continued with a knowing smile, "Give me some credit. I
am, after all, the Queen of Winter, Shadows, and Darkness. Where do people
hide their secrets? In the Shadows and in the Dark. I can't wait to see
Tatiana's face when she learns the truth." She then turned back to face
Xak. She told him it was almost dawn now and he needed to be back in the
physical world to meet up with Richard and the others. Then, with a wave of
her hand, she disappeared, leaving behind a small snow flurry.

Thayne looked at Xak and said, "It's almost time to wake up. I will be
there when you wake, but hidden so Nicholas nor Justin know that I am
there. I will slip the necklaces into your pocket as soon as I arrive. Make
sure Toby gets his before he retires for the day."

The next moment, Xak awoke in the king sized bed alone. He looked at his
watch and saw that it was 6:35, when he looked out the window, he saw that
the sky was changing from black to grey, signaling that sunrise was soon to
come. He felt somebody or something slip into his right jeans pocket. When
he checked the pocket he found the necklaces. He slipped the wolf pendant
around his neck and walked out of the room.


1. Good evening, my friends.

2. My love.

3. Oh my!!

4. Little puppy


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